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Mrs. Psencik (pen-chick)

U.S. History 1877 to the present

Conference Period: 3rd period Tutoring: Tuesday after school

Email: Spsencik@springisd.org Phone: (281) 891-7000 ext 570

Room: 570

Text:

United States History 1877 to the present- Pearson Mastering the TEKs in U.S. History- Jarrett

Units

Unit 1- Gilded Age

Unit 2- America in Transition

Unit 3- Progressive Era

Unit 4- Expansionism and World War I

Unit 5- 1920s

Unit 6- The Great Depression and New Deal

Unit 7- World War II

Unit 8- Cold War and Civil Rights

Unit 9- The Sixties

Unit 10- 1969-2000

Unit 11- New Millennium

Unit 12- Review

Classroom Expectations

1) Be prompt.

2) Be prepared.

3) Be polite.

Spring High School Policy EIE / EIA

Grading Policy

1. Major grades ­­­__50_%. Minor grades _50__%.

2. Report card cycle is still every _6__ weeks.

3. Minimum of _9__ minor grades per _6__weeks each grading period.

4. Grades must be posted within _5__ days of the assignment due date.

5. _3__ major and _9__ minor grades should consist of the minimum12 grades for the grading cycle.

6. Advance notice should be given to students for the __3_ major grades.

7. Major grades consist of: unit _tests__, projects_, research papers, essays, oral presentations.

8. Major grades must be distributed equally throughout each grading period. _1__ per each _2__ weeks. **Cannot take multiple grades for one test.

9. Minor grades consist of: quizzes activities, labs, homework, and exit tickets. Daily grades must be distributed equally throughout each grading period.

10. Homework must NOT account for more than _10__% of the 50% of minor grades.

11. Reteaching must occur whenever the teacher determines that a student has not mastered the objective at the independent practice or assessment level.

12. There must be documentation of reteaching in either the lesson plans or grade book.

13. After reteaching, there must be evidence that rassessment has occurred. Reassessment methods include: additional assignments, cumulative tests, retesting, and rubric checklist.

14. Students receiving a failing grade on an assessment must have the opportunity to retest. Retesting may include all objectives or those objectives not mastered by the student.

15. Students who receive a grade below 75 on a major grade assessment must retest. Reteaching must be completed prior to the administration of the next major assessment in the course & must also be accompanied by documentation.

16. The maximum score a student can earn is a 75 on a retest. Documentation of retesting must be maintained.

17. The teacher is responsible for establishing a consistent system for notifying students & parents of make- up work when students are absent. The number of days allowed to make up missed assignments shall be equivalent to the number of days the student was absent.

18. It the test was scheduled prior to the student’s absence the student may be required take the test upon return.

19. Suggested homework time: for HS is _10__-_15__ minutes per night for four nights per week. Students taking advanced academics courses may require additional homework time.

20. Progress reports shall be sent for students with a grade below _70.

21. Late work will be accepted according to campus guidelines to allow a student to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum.

22. Extra credit should be given for work directly related to the content Extra credit should not be used to the extent that the grade does not accurately reflect the academic achievement.

23. High Schools operate on the semester plan with each year being divided into 2 semester.

24. All numerical grades = alpha grades as follows: 90-100 A, 80-89 B, 75-79C, 70-74D, and 69 & below F.

25. When a student transfers, the records from the previous school should be included in calculations for the current grading period. If records are available and the student has been enrolled less than 15 days, no grades will be recorded on the report card. The comment should read “insufficient days enrolled to assign grades.”

26. ELL students should not be given failing grades based on their inability to speak fluent English. All ELL students must be linguistically accommodated.

27. Think before assigning grades. Grades of 69, 68, or 67 are very close. Give students an opportunity to improve grades with extra credit opportunities.

Classroom Distractions

Per district policy, food and drink (except clear water) will not be allowed in class.

All electronic devices need to be off and out of sight once the tardy bell rings. Any devices spotted/heard by me during classes that are out during a ‘no zone’ will be confiscated.

1^st offense- I will keep the device till the end of class

2^nd offense- I will keep the device till the end of the day

3^rd offense- I will turn it into the front office and will cost $15 to get back and parent will need to pick it up

Students will be expected to remain in class the entire period. Restroom/water breaks need to be requested by raising a hand. The students have 5 minutes in the hallway to take care of personal business. Individual medical/emergency situations will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Supplies

Each student needs a spiral or composition notebook for notes. They will also need something to write with (pen or pencil).

EXTRA CREDIT

For two of the units per semester, you may rent and watch a film at home for extra credit. Please be aware that I have not seen all of these films, but have collected ideas from other educators. Some are rated R, so please discuss your choice with your family, as is appropriate.

The Assignment: Watch the film, then write up a one page analysis of how this particular film ties into the history we have been studying in class. Be as specific as possible, and make as many logical connections as you can. Also, what do you think of the film, and why?

Scroll down to find the appropriate unit. This page is a work in progress, so I will continue to add films throughout the year.

Transformation and Change

Newsies

At least 2 episodes (your choice) from PBS series "We Shall Remain"- on Native American History- it is all online

Citizen Kane (age of capitalism)

Modern Times- Charlie Chaplin

Little Big Man- Dustin Hoffman- comdedy, but not- on Native American 19th c. issues

Iron Jawed Angels- womens' suffrage- Hillary Swank

A Day without a Mexican (current immigration issues)

US Expansionism and The Great War (WWI)

All Quiet on the Western Front

Christmas in the Trenches- based on true story of soccer game

Gallipoli

Farewell to Arms

Sargeant York

The Twenties

Boardwalk Empire

Chaplin

Cotton Club

Inherit the Wind (about Scopes Monkey trial)

Some Like it Hot

The Ten Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table (documentary)

Prohibition documentary series by Ken Burns

Lady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday)

The Great Depression and the New Deal

The Great Debaters- true story of all Black College that wins debate against Harvard- deals with Lynchings and tenant farmer organizing

The Grapes of Wrath

Paper Moon

Bonnie and Clyde (pretty violent)

Road to Perdition

O Brother Where Art Thou- lots of music!

Modern Times- Charlie Chaplin!

They shoot Hoses Don't They?

The Color Purple

Bound for Glory (about Woody Guthrie)

Cinderella Man (boxing)

Cradle Will Rock- (about art Diego Rivera/Rockefeller- based on a true story)

Of Mice and Men

Places in the Heart

World War II: Total War

The Sorrow and the Pity (Classic on Vichy France)

Ship of Fools (Voyage of the St. Louis and Holocaust)

Schindler's List (Holocaust)

The Pianist (Holocaust)

Saving Private Ryan (violent opening scene!)

Come See the Paradise (Japanese-American Incarceration)

Incident at Black Rock (Classic- relates to J-A Incarceration)

Casablanca (Classic of the era- war)

Tuskegee Airmen (African Americans and the war)

Fat Man and Little Boy (The bomb)

Swing Kids

The Cold War and Consumer Culture

Pleasantville

Dr. Strangelove (a classic Kubrick film- very advanced satire- watch later in the unit)

Good Night, and Good Luck (media and McCarthyism)

The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming (classic, silly satire on fear of the "other")

Tae Guk Ki- The Brotherhood of War- Korean War

13 Days- Cuban Missile Crisis

The Civil Rights Movement and Social Protest

Seperate but Equal (segregated schools)

Malcolm X

Mississipi Burning

The Long Walk Home (Montgomery Bus Boycott)

Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee- more recent, but deals with ideas of Malcolm X and MLK)

The Life and Times of Harvey Milk (documentary on assassinated Gay Rights politician)

Milk- the Hollywood Sean Penn movie that deals with Harvey Milk's life

North Country (women in the mines)

Crash- won best film 2006- will make you question your own stereoptypes

Vietnam and the 1960s/1970s

Apocalypse Now (classic- first film to spark series of VN films- a bit cerebral)

Full Metal Jacket (violent)

Hearts and Minds- documentary on US policy- powerful!

Platoon

Berkeley in the Sixties- free speech and protest in US

Born on the Fourth of July- vet experience

All the President's Men- Watergate- reporters getting at the truth- know the basics of Watergate facts first

Three Mile Island- nuclear power controversy in US

Salvador- US policy in Central America in late 1970s and early 1980s

Charlie Wilson's War- more on US Policy in Central America- El Salvador

Argo- US Embassy in Iran